(Radio Iowa) – Scratch tickets are often given as Christmas gifts, but Iowa Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer says they are not recommending them for minors. “Technically, it is not against the law for you to give a lottery ticket to someone who is under age, but we would just ask folks to stop and ask whether it’s a good idea,” Neubauer says. She says it can be a gray area for some people. “We’ve tweaked our message a little bit this year. And we’ve said that we think that lottery tickets are something that should be purchased by adults for adults. And you know, that’s true for a lot of products,” Nueabauer says. “You know, certainly alcohol and tobacco come with age restrictions. And those are things that people give a lot this time of year, even movies and toys have age recommendation guidelines. So we just asked people to keep that in mind when they’re buying lottery tickets, please reserve lottery tickets for the adult audience.”

Neubauer says scratch tickets are a form of gambling. “Studies have shown that problem gambling can begin in adolescence when impulse and attention control are still developing. So we at the Iowa Lottery want our products to go to those who are mature enough to enjoy that entertainment,” she says. Neubauer says you have to be 21 to buy a scratch ticket, but it is NOT illegal for a minor to redeem a gift ticket.

“We at the lottery would always ensure that the ticket was legally purchased, legally presented, and legally possessed. And we would ask the right questions in that situation to make sure that that was the case. In this case, it simply comes down to who are you giving that ticket to and under what circumstances ” Neubauer says.

You can find out more about the issue on the Iowa Lottery’s Blog on their webpage.